food January 22, 2010 8:20 AM

GiGi's Soul Food

Don Cialone Jr. 27

I've been meaning to get to GiGi's on the East Side for quite some time, but I don't find myself in the neighborhood often. However, on my way to the Museum of Science on Martin Luther King Day, I finally got the chance to experience a Buffalo soul food institution that's been around since 1960.

Occupying the corner of East Ferry and Jefferson Avenue, GiGi's offers up amazing home style southern cuisine with a unique African-American flair, in a hospitable diner setting.

The clientele is made up of a good amount of regulars who feel right at home discussing neighborhood issues and politics at the counter while watching the latest news on GiGi's television.

The menu consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner and specials that change daily, and are modestly priced. Some of the more popular items are the smothered pork chops, fried chicken, steak and BBQ.

On this particular day, I had the smothered pork chops with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. My friend had the curry chicken with collard greens, also with mac and cheese. He's a native of North Carolina, and I can honestly say I've never seen him wolf down a meal like that before! It reminded him of the southern cookin' he doesn't get to eat very often up north.

All the dinners come with a side of homemade corn bread, served up warm from the oven. GiGi's also has an amazing selection of homemade pies and cakes to compliment their dishes. You'll be glad to know that both the deserts and entrees are available for takeout.

GiGi's

257 East Ferry

Buffalo, NY 14208

883.1438

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Comments

27 Comments Leave a comment

Lego1981

January 22, 2010 1:34 AM

I LUV THIS PLACE!!!! I need to go back again soon. Miss their omelettes and grits. Thanks for posting this place!

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LouisTully

January 22, 2010 2:44 AM

grits, eh? i didn't think anyone north of the mason-dixon ate grits. i lived in the south for a while and never ventured into grits territory.

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Lego1981

January 22, 2010 2:48 AM

Oh yes, this is the place where I was introduced to grits. Topped with some cheese, mmmmm

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MRodgers

January 22, 2010 9:19 AM

LOVE grits - as long as they are tight and not loose - wish I could find a place in Buffalo that served up some gool, ol' shrimp-n-grits - now that's good eats!

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Armchair MBA

January 22, 2010 7:27 AM

The place looks dressed up compared to what I remember it. Did they recently renovate?

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The Boss

January 22, 2010 10:26 AM

yes they did renovate, with public money I believe, and I recall reading there was an issue of them paying it back, as well as paying thier taxes and utilities, and on top of that I think one of the owners or family members was selling stolen handicap tags out of the place.

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hoss117

January 22, 2010 10:48 AM

They sure did renovate. Thanks to a grant from BERC.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/885547.html

No issues about paying it back, but the question is, is it proper to loan so much money to a business that has had so many tax issues?

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whatever

January 22, 2010 11:30 AM

That's a good question, and a related one is, is it a smart use of public $ to fund restaurants at all?

Another restaurant that got a lot of BERC subsidy is Empire Grill. They're apparently doing ok, but not far away Filippo's recently closed. I'm not saying Empire drew customers from Filippo's. Maybe it did, maybe not.

However, restaurants come and go. What sense does it make to choose a few to receive preferential taxpayer assistance when most won't?

If there's to be public assistance for city restaurants at all, it should be an equal amount given to all of them every year. Politician-appointed bureaucrats shouldn't be trying to choose winners and losers.

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hoss117

January 22, 2010 1:42 PM

Another good question. I would like to draw a distinction, however, between a loan and a subsidy. BERC is primarily involved in making low interest loans to businesses within the city, they aren't (in theory at least) handing out money which is never to be repaid. Of course, one can argue that providing favorable loan terms and possibly offering a loan to a business that otherwise would not qualify with a commerical bank, amounts to a subsidy, but I would argue that these types of loans can (again in theory) be a good way to use public money to help local business and potentially bring in some revenue, if the program is run correctly. The problem is, and this could be looked at as an inherent flaw in this type of program, that political motivations, rather than quality, sensible lending practices will influence who these loans go to. Another question that I would pose, did Filippo's apply for a loan with BERC and were they denied? It's tough to argue favoritism if the competitors aren't even trying to obtain the same assistance. I don't necessarily disagree with you that restaurants might be a bad target for these types of programs, but on the flip side, restaurants are a big part of what makes a neighborhood livable and unique. The main reason i commented at all is that I believe that we need better business practices and accountability at BERC and i think the process can be beneficial to our community.

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whatever

January 22, 2010 8:55 PM

You're right, it's mostly loans. But also some restaurants received grants from BERC. I'd agree grants should be banned first. Also, if default rates are high the distinction between loan and grant isn't as wide as it'd otherwise be.

If there must be taxpayer loans to city restaurants, I'd say they should be made available with identical amounts and conditions to all city restaurants every year.

That sounds more fair than choosing a few new or expanding restaurants to receive public help (even loans) if existing restaurants across down the block or a few streets over don't get them too.

I have no idea if Filippo's applied to BERC, or if their business was hurt by Empire but that wouldn't be surprising. It's a very competitive industry and there's just so many people going out to eat per week or month. It was just something I thought of when I drove by and saw Filippo's closed down and remembered reading in that Buffalo News article about BERC, which said Empire was overdue to repay.

http://www.buffalonews.com/specialreports/grantstreet/story/890197.html
"The Empire Grill, 1435 Hertel Ave., has been touch and go in repaying the $350,612 it borrowed from BERC. Only two other businesses have borrowed more from BERC under Brown's tenure.

Empire Grill fell behind in its payments after obtaining loans in 2006 to help build and equip the $1.25 million project. BERC turned the account over to a collections agency in April and the loans were restructured in May of this year.

The restaurant soon fell behind again, however, until the owner made a payment to bring the loan current in September — a day after a News reporter called him to inquire about the delinquency. He then fell more than a month behind in making payments, according to BERC officials, before again catching up last week, after The News made another inquiry. ..."

Even if it didn't contribute to Filippo's downfall, it doesn't sound fair to the other restaurants in that district.

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grad94

January 22, 2010 7:45 AM

love their sweet potato pie! it is one of the all-time great American desserts that almost no restaurants serve and no bakeries offer.

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suburban_hillbilly

January 22, 2010 12:06 PM

Is a leather jacket required to eat there?

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Lego1981

January 22, 2010 12:49 PM

LoL, not at all.

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buffloonitick

January 22, 2010 3:45 PM

soul food dinner jackets...

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Luke Cage

January 22, 2010 12:54 PM

"Is a leather jacket required to eat there?"

LoL, good one!

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Dick Kern

January 22, 2010 12:58 PM

Having attended countless "activist" meetings-with-breakfast in Eastside churches, always based on grits, eggs, bacon & butter, I fondly remember the taste . . but not the heath implications . . . in a community with alarmingly high rates of heart desease & strokes.

I do hope that GiGi's is introducing some healther options to their tasty traditional 'Soul Food' fare as well.

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ReginaldQMerriweatherIV

January 22, 2010 4:55 PM

your concern has been noted, Debbie Downer

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DMZ

January 22, 2010 10:05 PM

Yes because when I go out to eat for southern cooking I call ahead and make sure they have sprouts and wraps.

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MrGreenJeans

January 22, 2010 2:55 PM

The only proper subsidy for restaurants is the money their customers choose to spend in them. We pay taxes to give away to a business? We shouldn't, whether it's Joe's Popsicle Stand or General Motors.

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Dan

January 22, 2010 3:31 PM

Brush Script: Buffalo's favorite font.

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NorPark

January 22, 2010 11:45 PM

What are you like a professional font person? You think you can just go around and judge people on their font choices, huh?

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grad94

January 23, 2010 8:28 AM

no actually he isn't or he would have said typeface not font. typeface is style, like arial or courier. font is size, like 12 pt or 14 pt.

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Dan

January 23, 2010 12:15 PM

If you really wan to be a pedant, "typeface" refers to the style alone (Times New Roman, Helvetica, etc), while "font" refers to the physical type or computer file (.ttf, .otf, or equivalent). In contemporary usage, "font" is increasingly interchangable with "typeface".

Google "Brush Script" along with "ugly", "sucks", and so on to see what professional designers really think of it. Yes, Brush Script is really far more prevalent on signage in the Buffalo area than in other areas, where it's more commonly used in a kitschy or self-consciously retro context.

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Blackrocklifer

January 23, 2010 10:52 AM

Gigi's is pretty good but Sylvia's in Harlem is the ultimate soul food experience. As a white guy with a real appreciation for greens and cornbread I have yet to find any as good as Sylvia's. There is a place in Chicago that is also good but I can't recall the name.
Take your greens and cornbread with a little vinegar, hot sauce, diced tomatoes, and hot peppers, delicious! Also no Jiffy, only real cornbread with that nice gritty texture.

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Lego1981

January 24, 2010 1:20 PM

And the Pink Teacup in the W.Village was good too, but they are sadly closing their doors soon. ;(

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varickwt

January 23, 2010 11:31 PM

I finally went to Gigi's and SO disappointed. The pork chops were thin and dry. Everything else was just ok. Except the peach cobbler was the worst most disgusting dessert I ever tried. Peaches were canned maybe and tasted like dust, the cobbler part was flat and weird not fluffy and crisp on top. I would NOT waste my $$ again there. My mom is from the South. I know how to cook Southern/Soul and this place was not what it should be. All those other places may be ok in Harlem, you also forgot Amy Ruth's on 116. Honestly I would rather cook up my own grits, cornbread, greens and mac&cheese Paula Dean Style. Ribs, my grandfather's recipe from KY, KC style (tomato based sauce, dry rub).

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varickwt

January 23, 2010 11:34 PM

OH and I do not think loans should be given to restaurants with tax payers $$, banks know how risky this business is and rarely give them out. Considering One Sunset took a dump with public funding you would think this would be a clue...@Dan, hilarious, people who are not graphic designers should leave the designing to designers.

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